NKJV Bible in 365 Days
Faithless Kings, Famine, and Fire From Heaven — April 3
1 Kings 15-18
1 Kings 15
1 In the eighteenth year of King Jeroboam the son of Nebat, Abijam became king over Judah. 365N 93.1
2 He reigned three years in Jerusalem. His mother’s name was Maachah the granddaughter of Abishalom. 365N 93.2
3 And he walked in all the sins of his father, which he had done before him; his heart was not [a] loyal to the Lord his God, as was the heart of his father David. 365N 93.3
4 Nevertheless for David’s sake the Lord his God gave him a lamp in Jerusalem, by setting up his son after him and by establishing Jerusalem; 365N 93.4
5 because David did what was right in the eyes of the Lord , and had not turned aside from anything that He commanded him all the days of his life, except in the matter of Uriah the Hittite. 365N 93.5
6 And there was war between [b] Rehoboam and Jeroboam all the days of his life. 365N 93.6
7 Now the rest of the acts of Abijam, and all that he did, are they not written in the book of the chronicles of the kings of Judah? And there was war between Abijam and Jeroboam. 365N 93.7
8 So Abijam [c] rested with his fathers, and they buried him in the City of David. Then Asa his son reigned in his place. 365N 93.8
9 In the twentieth year of Jeroboam king of Israel, Asa became king over Judah. 365N 93.9
10 And he reigned forty-one years in Jerusalem. His grandmother’s name was Maachah the granddaughter of Abishalom. 365N 93.10
11 Asa did what was right in the eyes of the Lord , as did his father David. 365N 93.11
12 And he banished the [d] perverted persons from the land, and removed all the idols that his fathers had made. 365N 93.12
13 Also he removed Maachah his grandmother from being queen mother, because she had made an obscene image of [e] Asherah. And Asa cut down her obscene image and burned it by the Brook Kidron. 365N 93.13
14 But the [f] high places were not removed. Nevertheless Asa’s heart was loyal to the Lord all his days. 365N 93.14
15 He also brought into the house of the Lord the things which his father had dedicated, and the things which he himself had dedicated: silver and gold and utensils. 365N 93.15
16 Now there was war between Asa and Baasha king of Israel all their days. 365N 93.16
17 And Baasha king of Israel came up against Judah, and built Ramah, that he might let none go out or come in to Asa king of Judah. 365N 93.17
18 Then Asa took all the silver and gold that was left in the treasuries of the house of the Lord and the treasuries of the king’s house, and delivered them into the hand of his servants. And King Asa sent them to Ben-Hadad the son of Tabrimmon, the son of Hezion, king of Syria, who dwelt in Damascus, saying, 365N 93.18
19 “ Let there be a treaty between you and me, as there was between my father and your father. See, I have sent you a present of silver and gold. Come and break your treaty with Baasha king of Israel, so that he will withdraw from me.” 365N 93.19
20 So Ben-Hadad heeded King Asa, and sent the captains of his armies against the cities of Israel. He attacked Ijon, Dan, Abel Beth Maachah, and all Chinneroth, with all the land of Naphtali. 365N 93.20
21 Now it happened, when Baasha heard it, that he stopped building Ramah, and remained in Tirzah. 365N 93.21
22 Then King Asa made a proclamation throughout all Judah; none was exempted. And they took away the stones and timber of Ramah, which Baasha had used for building; and with them King Asa built Geba of Benjamin, and Mizpah. 365N 93.22
23 The rest of all the acts of Asa, all his might, all that he did, and the cities which he built, are they not written in the book of the chronicles of the kings of Judah? But in the time of his old age he was diseased in his feet. 365N 93.23
24 So Asa [g] rested with his fathers, and was buried with his fathers in the City of David his father. Then Jehoshaphat his son reigned in his place. 365N 93.24
25 Now Nadab the son of Jeroboam became king over Israel in the second year of Asa king of Judah, and he reigned over Israel two years. 365N 93.25
26 And he did evil in the sight of the Lord , and walked in the way of his father, and in his sin by which he had made Israel sin. 365N 93.26
27 Then Baasha the son of Ahijah, of the house of Issachar, conspired against him. And Baasha killed him at Gibbethon, which belonged to the Philistines, while Nadab and all Israel laid siege to Gibbethon. 365N 93.27
28 Baasha killed him in the third year of Asa king of Judah, and reigned in his place. 365N 93.28
29 And it was so, when he became king, that he killed all the house of Jeroboam. He did not leave to Jeroboam anyone that breathed, until he had destroyed him, according to the word of the Lord which He had spoken by His servant Ahijah the Shilonite, 365N 93.29
30 because of the sins of Jeroboam, which he had sinned and by which he had made Israel sin, because of his provocation with which he had provoked the Lord God of Israel to anger. 365N 93.30
31 Now the rest of the acts of Nadab, and all that he did, are they not written in the book of the chronicles of the kings of Israel? 365N 93.31
32 And there was war between Asa and Baasha king of Israel all their days. 365N 93.32
33 In the third year of Asa king of Judah, Baasha the son of Ahijah became king over all Israel in Tirzah, and reigned twenty-four years. 365N 93.33
34 He did evil in the sight of the Lord , and walked in the way of Jeroboam, and in his sin by which he had made Israel sin. 365N 93.34
1 Kings 16
1 Then the word of the Lord came to Jehu the son of Hanani, against Baasha, saying: 365N 93.35
2 “Inasmuch as I lifted you out of the dust and made you ruler over My people Israel, and you have walked in the way of Jeroboam, and have made My people Israel sin, to provoke Me to anger with their sins, 365N 93.36
3 surely I will take [a] away the posterity of Baasha and the posterity of his house, and I will make your house like the house of Jeroboam the son of Nebat. 365N 93.37
4 The dogs shall eat whoever belongs to Baasha and dies in the city, and the birds of the air shall eat whoever dies in the fields.” 365N 93.38
5 Now the rest of the acts of Baasha, what he did, and his might, are they not written in the book of the chronicles of the kings of Israel? 365N 93.39
6 So Baasha [b] rested with his fathers and was buried in Tirzah. Then Elah his son reigned in his place. 365N 93.40
7 And also the word of the Lord came by the prophet Jehu the son of Hanani against Baasha and his house, because of all the evil that he did in the sight of the Lord in provoking Him to anger with the work of his hands, in being like the house of Jeroboam, and because he killed them. 365N 93.41
8 In the twenty-sixth year of Asa king of Judah, Elah the son of Baasha became king over Israel, and reigned two years in Tirzah. 365N 93.42
9 Now his servant Zimri, commander of half his chariots, conspired against him as he was in Tirzah drinking himself drunk in the house of Arza, steward [c] of his house in Tirzah. 365N 93.43
10 And Zimri went in and struck him and killed him in the twenty-seventh year of Asa king of Judah, and reigned in his place. 365N 93.44
11 Then it came to pass, when he began to reign, as soon as he was seated on his throne, that he killed all the household of Baasha; he did not leave him one male, neither of his relatives nor of his friends. 365N 93.45
12 Thus Zimri destroyed all the household of Baasha, according to the word of the Lord , which He spoke against Baasha by Jehu the prophet, 365N 93.46
13 for all the sins of Baasha and the sins of Elah his son, by which they had sinned and by which they had made Israel sin, in provoking the Lord God of Israel to anger with their [d] idols. 365N 93.47
14 Now the rest of the acts of Elah, and all that he did, are they not written in the book of the chronicles of the kings of Israel? 365N 93.48
15 In the twenty-seventh year of Asa king of Judah, Zimri had reigned in Tirzah seven days. And the people were encamped against Gibbethon, which belonged to the Philistines. 365N 93.49
16 Now the people who were encamped heard it said, “Zimri has conspired and also has killed the king.” So all Israel made Omri, the commander of the army, king over Israel that day in the camp. 365N 93.50
17 Then Omri and all Israel with him went up from Gibbethon, and they besieged Tirzah. 365N 93.51
18 And it happened, when Zimri saw that the city was [e] taken, that he went into the citadel of the king’s house and burned the king’s house [f] down upon himself with fire, and died, 365N 93.52
19 because of the sins which he had committed in doing evil in the sight of the Lord , in walking in the way of Jeroboam, and in his sin which he had committed to make Israel sin. 365N 93.53
20 Now the rest of the acts of Zimri, and the treason he committed, are they not written in the book of the chronicles of the kings of Israel? 365N 93.54
21 Then the people of Israel were divided into two parts: half of the people followed Tibni the son of Ginath, to make him king, and half followed Omri. 365N 93.55
22 But the people who followed Omri prevailed over the people who followed Tibni the son of Ginath. So Tibni died and Omri reigned. 365N 93.56
23 In the thirty-first year of Asa king of Judah, Omri became king over Israel, and reigned twelve years. Six years he reigned in Tirzah. 365N 93.57
24 And he bought the hill of Samaria from Shemer for two talents of silver; then he built on the hill, and called the name of the city which he built, Samaria, [g] after the name of Shemer, owner of the hill. 365N 93.58
25 Omri did evil in the eyes of the Lord , and did worse than all who were before him. 365N 93.59
26 For he walked in all the ways of Jeroboam the son of Nebat, and in his sin by which he had made Israel sin, provoking the Lord God of Israel to anger with their idols. [h] 365N 93.60
27 Now the rest of the acts of Omri which he did, and the might that he showed, are they not written in the book of the chronicles of the kings of Israel? 365N 93.61
28 So Omri rested with his fathers and was buried in Samaria. Then Ahab his son reigned in his place. 365N 93.62
29 In the thirty-eighth year of Asa king of Judah, Ahab the son of Omri became king over Israel; and Ahab the son of Omri reigned over Israel in Samaria twenty-two years. 365N 93.63
30 Now Ahab the son of Omri did evil in the sight of the Lord , more than all who were before him. 365N 93.64
31 And it came to pass, as though it had been a trivial thing for him to walk in the sins of Jeroboam the son of Nebat, that he took as wife Jezebel the daughter of Ethbaal, king of the Sidonians; and he went and served Baal and worshiped him. 365N 93.65
32 Then he set up an altar for Baal in the temple of Baal, which he had built in Samaria. 365N 93.66
33 And Ahab made a [i] wooden image. Ahab did more to provoke the Lord God of Israel to anger than all the kings of Israel who were before him. 365N 93.67
34 In his days Hiel of Bethel built Jericho. He laid its foundation [j] with Abiram his firstborn, and with his youngest son Segub he set up its gates, according to the word of the Lord , which He had spoken through Joshua the son of Nun. 365N 93.68
1 Kings 17
1 And Elijah the Tishbite, of the inhabitants of Gilead, said to Ahab, “ As the Lord God of Israel lives, before whom I stand, there shall not be dew nor rain these years, except at my word.” 365N 93.69
2 Then the word of the Lord came to him, saying, 365N 93.70
3 “Get away from here and turn eastward, and hide by the Brook Cherith, which flows into the Jordan. 365N 93.71
4 And it will be that you shall drink from the brook, and I have commanded the ravens to feed you there.” 365N 93.72
5 So he went and did according to the word of the Lord , for he went and stayed by the Brook Cherith, which flows into the Jordan. 365N 93.73
6 The ravens brought him bread and meat in the morning, and bread and meat in the evening; and he drank from the brook. 365N 93.74
7 And it happened after a while that the brook dried up, because there had been no rain in the land. 365N 93.75
8 Then the word of the Lord came to him, saying, 365N 93.76
9 “Arise, go to Zarephath, which belongs to Sidon, and dwell there. See, I have commanded a widow there to provide for you.” 365N 93.77
10 So he arose and went to Zarephath. And when he came to the gate of the city, indeed a widow was there gathering sticks. And he called to her and said, “Please bring me a little water in a cup, that I may drink.” 365N 93.78
11 And as she was going to get it, he called to her and said, “Please bring me a morsel of bread in your hand.” 365N 93.79
12 So she said, “As the Lord your God lives, I do not have bread, only a handful of flour in a bin, and a little oil in a [a] jar; and see, I am gathering a couple of sticks that I may go in and prepare it for myself and my son, that we may eat it, and die.” 365N 93.80
13 And Elijah said to her, “Do not fear; go and do as you have said, but make me a small cake from it first, and bring it to me; and afterward make some for yourself and your son. 365N 93.81
14 For thus says the Lord God of Israel: ‘The bin of flour shall not be used up, nor shall the jar of oil run dry, until the day the Lord sends rain on the earth.’ ” 365N 93.82
15 So she went away and did according to the word of Elijah; and she and he and her household ate for many days. 365N 93.83
16 The bin of flour was not used up, nor did the jar of oil run dry, according to the word of the Lord which He spoke by Elijah. 365N 93.84
17 Now it happened after these things that the son of the woman who owned the house became sick. And his sickness was so [b] serious that [c] there was no breath left in him. 365N 93.85
18 So she said to Elijah, “What have I to do with you, O man of God? Have you come to me to bring my sin to remembrance, and to kill my son?” 365N 93.86
19 And he said to her, “Give me your son.” So he took him out of her arms and carried him to the upper room where he was staying, and laid him on his own bed. 365N 93.87
20 Then he cried out to the Lord and said, “O Lord my God, have You also brought tragedy on the widow with whom I lodge, by killing her son?” 365N 93.88
21 And he stretched himself out on the child three times, and cried out to the Lord and said, “O Lord my God, I pray, let this child’s soul come back to him.” 365N 93.89
22 Then the Lord heard the voice of Elijah; and the soul of the child came back to him, and he revived. 365N 93.90
23 And Elijah took the child and brought him down from the upper room into the house, and gave him to his mother. And Elijah said, “See, your son lives!” 365N 93.91
24 Then the woman said to Elijah, “Now by this I know that you are a man of God, and that the word of the Lord in your mouth is the truth.” 365N 93.92
1 Kings 18
1 And it came to pass after many days that the word of the Lord came to Elijah, in the third year, saying, “Go, present yourself to Ahab, and I will send rain on the earth.” 365N 93.93
2 So Elijah went to present himself to Ahab; and there was a severe famine in Samaria. 365N 93.94
3 And Ahab had called Obadiah, who was [a] in charge of his house. (Now Obadiah feared the Lord greatly. 365N 93.95
4 For so it was, while Jezebel [b] massacred the prophets of the Lord , that Obadiah had taken one hundred prophets and hidden them, fifty to a cave, and had fed them with bread and water.) 365N 93.96
5 And Ahab had said to Obadiah, “Go into the land to all the springs of water and to all the brooks; perhaps we may find grass to keep the horses and mules alive, so that we will not have to kill any livestock.” 365N 93.97
6 So they divided the land between them to explore it; Ahab went one way by himself, and Obadiah went another way by himself. 365N 93.98
7 Now as Obadiah was on his way, suddenly Elijah met him; and he recognized him, and fell on his face, and said, “ Is that you, my lord Elijah?” 365N 93.99
8 And he answered him, “ It is I. Go, tell your master, ‘Elijah is here. ’ ” 365N 93.100
9 So he said, “How have I sinned, that you are delivering your servant into the hand of Ahab, to kill me? 365N 93.101
10 As the Lord your God lives, there is no nation or kingdom where my master has not sent someone to hunt for you; and when they said, ‘ He is not here, ’ he took an oath from the kingdom or nation that they could not find you. 365N 93.102
11 And now you say, ‘Go, tell your master, “Elijah is here ” ’! 365N 93.103
12 And it shall come to pass, as soon as I am gone from you, that the Spirit of the Lord will carry you to a place I do not know; so when I go and tell Ahab, and he cannot find you, he will kill me. But I your servant have feared the Lord from my youth. 365N 93.104
13 Was it not reported to my lord what I did when Jezebel killed the prophets of the Lord , how I hid one hundred men of the Lord ’s prophets, fifty to a cave, and fed them with bread and water? 365N 93.105
14 And now you say, ‘Go, tell your master, “Elijah is here. ” ’ He will kill me!” 365N 93.106
15 Then Elijah said, “ As the Lord of hosts lives, before whom I stand, I will surely present myself to him today.” 365N 93.107
16 So Obadiah went to meet Ahab, and told him; and Ahab went to meet Elijah. 365N 93.108
17 Then it happened, when Ahab saw Elijah, that Ahab said to him, “ Is that you, O troubler of Israel?” 365N 93.109
18 And he answered, “I have not troubled Israel, but you and your father’s house have, in that you have forsaken the commandments of the Lord and have followed the Baals. 365N 93.110
19 Now therefore, send and gather all Israel to me on Mount Carmel, the four hundred and fifty prophets of Baal, and the four hundred prophets of [c] Asherah, who [d] eat at Jezebel’s table.” 365N 93.111
20 So Ahab sent for all the children of Israel, and gathered the prophets together on Mount Carmel. 365N 93.112
21 And Elijah came to all the people, and said, “How long will you falter between two opinions? If the Lord is God, follow Him; but if Baal, follow him.” But the people answered him not a word. 365N 93.113
22 Then Elijah said to the people, “I alone am left a prophet of the Lord ; but Baal’s prophets are four hundred and fifty men. 365N 93.114
23 Therefore let them give us two bulls; and let them choose one bull for themselves, cut it in pieces, and lay it on the wood, but put no fire under it; and I will prepare the other bull, and lay it on the wood, but put no fire under it. 365N 93.115
24 Then you call on the name of your gods, and I will call on the name of the Lord ; and the God who answers by fire, He is God.” So all the people answered and said, [e] “It is well spoken.” 365N 93.116
25 Now Elijah said to the prophets of Baal, “Choose one bull for yourselves and prepare it first, for you are many; and call on the name of your god, but put no fire under it. ” 365N 93.117
26 So they took the bull which was given them, and they prepared it, and called on the name of Baal from morning even till noon, saying, “O Baal, [f] hear us!” But there was no voice; no one answered. Then they [g] leaped about the altar which they had made. 365N 93.118
27 And so it was, at noon, that Elijah mocked them and said, “Cry [h] aloud, for he is a god; either he is meditating, or he is busy, or he is on a journey, or perhaps he is sleeping and must be awakened.” 365N 93.119
28 So they cried aloud, and cut themselves, as was their custom, with [i] knives and lances, until the blood gushed out on them. 365N 93.120
29 And when midday was past, they prophesied until the time of the offering of the evening sacrifice. But there was no voice; no one answered, no one paid attention. 365N 93.121
30 Then Elijah said to all the people, “Come near to me.” So all the people came near to him. And he repaired the altar of the Lord that was broken down. 365N 93.122
31 And Elijah took twelve stones, according to the number of the tribes of the sons of Jacob, to whom the word of the Lord had come, saying, “Israel shall be your name.” 365N 93.123
32 Then with the stones he built an altar in the name of the Lord ; and he made a trench around the altar large enough to hold two seahs of seed. 365N 93.124
33 And he put the wood in order, cut the bull in pieces, and laid it on the wood, and said, “Fill four waterpots with water, and pour it on the burnt sacrifice and on the wood.” 365N 93.125
34 Then he said, “Do it a second time,” and they did it a second time; and he said, “Do it a third time,” and they did it a third time. 365N 93.126
35 So the water ran all around the altar; and he also filled the trench with water. 365N 93.127
36 And it came to pass, at the time of the offering of the evening sacrifice, that Elijah the prophet came near and said, “ Lord God of Abraham, Isaac, and Israel, let it be known this day that You are God in Israel and I am Your servant, and that I have done all these things at Your word. 365N 93.128
37 Hear me, O Lord , hear me, that this people may know that You are the Lord God, and that You have turned their hearts back to You again.” 365N 93.129
38 Then the fire of the Lord fell and consumed the burnt sacrifice, and the wood and the stones and the dust, and it licked up the water that was in the trench. 365N 93.130
39 Now when all the people saw it, they fell on their faces; and they said, “The Lord , He is God! The Lord , He is God!” 365N 93.131
40 And Elijah said to them, “Seize the prophets of Baal! Do not let one of them escape!” So they seized them; and Elijah brought them down to the Brook Kishon and executed them there. 365N 93.132
41 Then Elijah said to Ahab, “Go up, eat and drink; for there is the sound of abundance of rain.” 365N 93.133
42 So Ahab went up to eat and drink. And Elijah went up to the top of Carmel; then he bowed down on the ground, and put his face between his knees, 365N 93.134
43 and said to his servant, “Go up now, look toward the sea.” So he went up and looked, and said, “ There is nothing.” And seven times he said, “Go again.” 365N 93.135
44 Then it came to pass the seventh time, that he said, “There is a cloud, as small as a man’s hand, rising out of the sea!” So he said, “Go up, say to Ahab, [j] ‘Prepare your chariot, and go down before the rain stops you.’ ” 365N 93.136
45 Now it happened in the meantime that the sky became black with clouds and wind, and there was a heavy rain. So Ahab rode away and went to Jezreel. 365N 93.137
46 Then the hand of the Lord came upon Elijah; and he girded [k] up his loins and ran ahead of Ahab to the entrance of Jezreel. 365N 93.138